No immediate details of the agreement were revealed, nor has Israel released any statement about it.Hamas accepted a Gaza ceasefire proposal on May 6, after Israeli Defense Forces began to launch airstrikes on eastern sections of Rafah.
The terrorist group released a statement that its chief, Ismail Haniyeh, informed Qatar’s prime minister and Egypt’s intelligence chief accepting the proposal.
No immediate details were revealed. Israel has not released any statement in response
The US State Department confirmed, “Hamas has issued a response.”
“We are reviewing that response now and discussing it with our partners in the region,” a spokesperson said.
Israeli authorities ordered Palestinian civilians to evacuate the eastern part of the city in preparation for large-scale activity.
The Israel Defense Forces released a statement on X stating that a humanitarian area in nearby Al-Mawasi was expanded to accommodate the increased levels of aid entering the region, and that civilians in specific areas of eastern Rafah will be guided there. Those calls will be shared in Arabic via flyers, SMS messages, phone calls, and media broadcasts.
“The IDF will continue pursuing Hamas everywhere in Gaza until all the hostages that they’re holding in captivity are back home,” they said.
Airstrikes were reported in the eastern part of Rafah on Monday before news of Hamas’ acceptance of Egypt and Qatar’s proposal.
“The purpose of the action in Rafah is to destroy the last four battalions of Hamas in Rafah,” Israeli government spokesman David Mercer said. “We cannot leave them there. They’ve stated very very clearly that they will re-form, re-take Gaza, and will carry out Oct 7 again and again and again.”
President Biden “reiterated his clear position” to Mr. Netanyahu on a Rafah invasion during this morning’s call, according to the White House, and Mr. Netanyahu agreed to ensure the Kerem Shalom crossing would be open for humanitarian assistance.
The president’s position has been that his administration would not support Israel’s operation in Rafah if there is no action plan in place to protect civilians there. He urged the Palestinians to release the more than 130 hostages still held since Hamas launched its attack on Oct. 7, 2023.
President Biden also updated Mr. Netanyahu on the efforts to secure a hostage deal, including talks today in Doha, Qatar.
“There is a different way to go about dealing with the Hamas threat in Rafah and succeeding in ensuring the long-term defense and security of Israel,” National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said on April 29.
However, Mr. Netanyahu has also made it clear that the only way to defeat Hamas was to eliminate the “remnant of battalions” in Rafah.
He reaffirmed on April 30 that Rafah remained a military objective.
“The idea that we will stop the war before achieving all of its goals is out of the question,” Mr. Netanyahu said, according to a statement from his office. “We will enter Rafah and we will eliminate Hamas’ battalions there—with or without a deal—to achieve the total victory.”
He also said that Israel would do it with or without the US.
“I told him that I hope we would do this with U.S. support, but if necessary, we will do it alone,” the Prime Minister said.
Negotiations for a ceasefire have failed since a week-long pause was granted in exchange for some of the hostages last November.
Since Hamas’s attack on Oct. 7, 2023, which took more than 250 hostages and killed 1,200 people, Israel’s war to eradicate Hamas has resulted in more than 34,000 Palestinian deaths.